University Mohammed V, Rabat Tutor: Zineb Bahji

Faculty of Legal, Economic

and Social Sciences,

Sala Al Jadida

Major: Finance and Banking& Entrepreneurship

Level: Master 1st year

Focus: Grammar/ Tenses: Past Simple, Past Continuous, Past Perfect

A Choose the correct answer.

1. I heard a knock at the front door so I (went / was going) to answer it.

2. At this time yesterday, I (wrote / was writing) an essay.

3. The football season (began / was beginning) a month ago.

4. She (had graduated / graduated) from school in 2001.

5. We entered the house quietly because everyone (was sleeping / had slept).

6. By the time we (got / had got) to the cinema, the film had already started.

7. The children (were playing / played) in the garden while their parents were watching them.

8. They (had left / left) many hours before we arrived.

B. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the Past
Simple, Past Continuous or Past Perfect Simple.

1. They .................................... (get) to the airport as the plane was landing.

2. She wore the shoes she ..................................... (buy) the previous day.

3. I fell as I .................................... (run) for the bus.

4. What .................................... she .................................... (say) when he asked her to marry

him?

5. When I was a student, I .................................... (not have) much money.

6. Why .................................... she still .................................... (work) at one o’clock in the

morning?

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7. I was happy to see her because we .................................... (not see) each other for years.

8. By the time we got to the shop, a long queue ....................................

already .................................... (form) outside.

C. Fill in the gaps with the most appropriate narrative tenses of the verbs in brackets:
past simple, past continuous or past perfect simple.

This story is based on true events that 1 ______________ (happen) many, many

years ago in Scotland. One day, Mr Clark 2 ______________ (walk) home with

a smile on his face. He 3 _______________ (carry) something very valuable in

his hand: tickets for a long, long journey.

After many years working and saving, Mr Clark 4 __________________ (save)

all the money he needed to take all his family to the United States. Earlier that

afternoon he 5 ________________ (buy) all the tickets that now he 6 ________

______________ (hold) in his hand. It was the opportunity of their lives. “The

United States of America,” he repeated aloud just to see how nice it 7

__________________ (sound) in his ears.

A few days before their departure, Mr Clark’s son 8 _________________ (play)

in the street when a dog 9 _________________ (bite) him. The doctor 10

______________ (go) to their home and 11 _______________ (treat) the child’s

wound. Then he 12 _____________ (hang) a yellow sheet on their front door.

That yellow sheet meant that they 13 ____________________ (just/be)

quarantined. They 14 ____________________ (have) to stay at home for two

weeks because of the possibility of rabies.

Five days later, Mr Clark was at the docks. He 15 __________________ (leave)

the house and now he 16 _________________ (watch) their ship leave to the

United States without him or his family. When the ship 17 _______________

(disappear) in the horizon, he 18 ___________________ (stand up) and 19

___________________ (go) back home, crying.

A few days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty Titanic

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20 ___________________ (sink), taking hundreds of lives with it